Published 10:23 pm, Monday, February 20, 2017

LEAGUE CITY -- Down 10 points late in the second quarter Monday night, Clear Creek didn't have the look of a team ready to produce a spirited comeback.

But behind an offensive resurgence, a parade to the free throw line, and some stifling defense, the Lady Wildcats managed to stun Clear Falls for a 45-41 victory at Clear Springs High School to earn a trip to this weekend's Region III-6A girls' basketball tournament in Katy.

The victory continued a storybook ride for head coach Kristi Odom's team, which finished third in District 24-6A and lost two starters to torn anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

The Lady Wildcats (23-9) never led until 3:17 remained in the fourth quarter when senior post Caitlyn Burroway scored inside for a 39-38 advantage.

However, Clear Falls senior guard Madison Nicholas drove the baseline for a layup to give the Lady Knights the upper hand, 40-39, with 2:41 showing.

For Falls (27-10), that would prove to be its final basket and part of a frustrating trend that saw the Lady Knights score just 17 points in the second half.

Creek senior guard Hannah Zajac gave Creek the lead for good with her hoop inside to make it 41-40 with 2:20 showing.

Falls then committed a 10-second violation and later missed a shot inside which Creek's Hannah Froeschl rebounded. A subsequent foul put Burroway on the line, where she made the first of two free throws for a 42-40 score with 30 seconds left.

Falls had a chance to tie with 17 seconds remaining, but Cortisha Ellis made only the second of a two-shot foul as the Lady Knights trimmed the lead to 42-41.

Creek guard Keondra White was fouled with 16 seconds left and made one of two free throws for a 43-41 score. Falls, though, committed a turnover, and Burroway spun into the lane for a layup for a 45-41 score with five seconds left to seal the victory.

A telling statistic: Clear Creek made 14 of 30 free throws while Clear Falls made five of just 10 attempts.

"I think we came out absolutely stagnant in the second half, and that had a lot to do with (the outcome)," Falls head coach Shannon Osborne said.

"But this didn't come down to a stagnant one quarter or two quarters or three quarters. This came down to free throws and layups. We shot 10 free throws and they shot 30. I don't know that our style was so different. That's profound."

Falls built a 24-14 lead when Annalise Brisco scored with 2:55 left in the first half, but the Lady Knights would manage to produce just 17 points in the final 19 minutes.

Zajac, who scored a game-high 18 points, was instrumental in the rally, making four 3-pointers.

"We knew we had to get more ball movement in the second half," Zajac said. "They were pressuring us a lot and we had to be under control and not just throw up any shot we saw.

"I knew we could pull through. I have so much faith in this team. We have nine seniors, and all of them played a part in getting us this win.'